Last verified: April 2026
Dugdha and Dairy — Milk, Curd, Butter, Ghee
दुग्ध वर्ग — Dugdha Varga — the milk category
Bhavaprakasha Nighantu's Dugdha Varga documents seven dairy preparations as distinct medicinal substances — each with different Rasa, Guna, Virya, and therapeutic karma. The dairy category is one of the most therapeutically important in classical Ayurveda: cow's milk is Nitya Sevaniya (daily use), ghee is Rasayana, and buttermilk is the specific treatment for Grahani (malabsorption).
Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 27.217
Kshiram jeevaniyam — Milk is the most life-sustaining of all foods. Among milks, cow's milk is foremost. It supports all seven Dhatu, builds Ojas, and is tridoshic when consumed appropriately warm with appropriate preparation.Go DugdhaCow's milk
Rasa: Madhura, Sheeta, Snigdha | Karma: Brimhana, Jivaniya, Rasayana, Stanyajanana
The reference standard. Tridoshic in proper use. Most nourishing of all milks — specifically Ojas-building. Best consumed warm. Incompatible with sour, salty, and fish.
Mahishi DugdhaBuffalo milk
Rasa: Madhura, Sheeta, Snigdha (more than cow) | Karma: Brimhana, Nidrajanan (sleep-promoting)
Heavier than cow milk — specifically documented for promoting sleep and for Vata-depleted patients with insomnia. More Kapha-aggravating than cow milk.
Aja DugdhaGoat milk
Rasa: Kashaya, Madhura, Laghu | Karma: Tridoshasamaka, Shwasahara (respiratory beneficial)
Lighter than cow milk, easier to digest. Specifically documented for respiratory conditions (Shwasa, Kasa) and for children and the elderly who cannot tolerate cow milk.
DadhiCurd/yoghurt
Rasa: Amla (sour), Guru | Karma: Deepana, Balya — but Pitta and Kapha aggravating in excess
Must be fully set (not fresh/liquid). Contraindicated in fever, bleeding disorders, and at night. Never heated. Beneficial in Vata conditions. The most commonly misused dairy product in Ayurvedic terms — widely consumed but classical texts have extensive contraindications.
TakraButtermilk
Rasa: Amla, Kashaya, Laghu | Karma: Deepana, Grahi, specifically documented for Grahani (malabsorption) and Arsha (haemorrhoids)
The classical therapeutic preparation: curd churned with water (3:1 water ratio) until butter is removed. Lighter and more therapeutic than curd. Charaka Samhita documents Takra as the single best substance for Grahani — 'Takram Grahani Chikitsa.'
NavanitaFresh butter
Rasa: Madhura, Sheeta, Guru, Snigdha | Karma: Balya, Vrishya (Vajikarana), Vatahara
Churned from fresh curd — not from cream. Specifically Vatahara and for building Shukra Dhatu. Classical preparation: 1–2 teaspoons of fresh butter with rock sugar as morning Rasayana.
GoghritaClarified butter from cow milk
Rasa: Madhura, Sheeta, Snigdha | Karma: Rasayana, Tridoshahara, Medhya, Chakshushya
The most therapeutically documented dairy preparation. Purified by slow heating — the process removes water and milk solids, leaving only the fat. Different from commercial ghee made from cream. Nitya Sevaniya.
The curd contraindications
Charaka Samhita documents more contraindications for curd (Dadhi) than for almost any other common food: never at night (increases Kapha and Tamas — the most Abhishyandi food in the evening); never heated (produces toxic properties); never in fever, Rakta conditions, or inflammatory conditions; not daily. The specific note: curd is the food most widely misunderstood in contemporary Ayurvedic popular guidance, where it is often promoted as probiotic without reference to the extensive classical contraindications.